1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to electrical connectors and, more particularly, to electrical connectors for attaching IC packages to circuit members.
2. General Background
Conventionally, an electrical connector generally comprises a plate-like base housing defining a plurality of terminal-receiving cavities, a plurality of terminals embedded in the terminal-receiving cavities, a cover having a plurality of through holes in the same grid pattern as the lead pins of the IC package and a lever slidably moving the cover relative to the base housing.
The base housing and cover are slidably interconnected so that the cover is driven in a plane parallel to the underlying base housing between a first position where the lead pins can pass through the through holes of the cover to reach the terminals mounted in the base housing and a second position where the lead pins of the IC package contact the terminals.
The lever is rotatably attached to one end of the base housing and may be rotated from a horizontal position to a vertical position.
Each of the terminals has a contact portion in the terminal-receiving cavity of the base housing, and a solder tail extending below the bottom of the base housing. The solder tail is inserted into corresponding hole of the circuit member on which the electrical connector is mounted, and is soldered to the circuit member. The lead pins of the IC package are embedded in the through holes to reach the terminals, then rotating the lever from the vertical position to the horizontal position in which the lead pins of the IC package contact the terminals and the IC package is electrical connected to the circuit member via the electrical connector.
However, there are some inadequacies in the electrical connector: firstly, the terminals are assembled in the nearly sealed terminal-receiving cavities after the IC package is electrically connected with the circuit member. When the current through the terminals gets greater and greater, the temperature of the terminals gets higher and higher so that the whole transmission system is not stable. Secondly, when the electrical connector is soldered to the circuit member, the heat between the electrical connector and the circuit member is not prone to emit to the outer as the distance from the bottom surface of the electrical connector to the PCB is small, and this will lead to bad soldering ability.
In view of the above, a new electrical connector which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages is desired.